No hate, no celebration. Just the record: he knew, he said so, timestamped, and then he chose power over everything he named. Most people don’t cause that much suffering in ten lifetimes.
Mourn the man if you knew him. The record mourns nothing.
This point: " Most people don't cause that much suffering in ten lifetimes." So true. And, frankly, I'd much rather have put him on trial for his crimes. This is a kind of escape from accountability---and I hate it.
I hate it too. I hate it that anyone supports any kind of harm to other beings. He didn't get accountability in a court, but facts are facts, and they are on display for all to see, forever.
Concerning a higher court: When MAGA is defeated, and it eventually will be, I want to see established a special court on the model of the Nuremberg court/trials after WWII. This is the only way we'll get real accountability and be able to move forward as we clean up the MAGA destruction; restoreing our country's institutions and its standing in the world. I want the entire administration put on trial, including the Senate Majority Leader and the Speaker of the House. No "reconciliation"; no mercy. Let's simply get it done. I don't want to go through another trump impeachment. It won't be as effective as what I'm proposing. I do want us to impeach both Thomas and Alito for corruption though. We have plenty of evidence and that will be the only way to gain a modicum of respect for SCOTUS quickly. They both must go. I'd like to see them in prison, but that would be an additional type of trial and verdict. Being booted off the court will not be enough. Another step in being able to move forward as a country. I'm deadly serious that we'll need a process that is much more effective and meaningful for all of them than what exists today. We're living in extraordinary times where extraordinary criminal behavior has occured.
HCR is all over that, looking at the Reconstruction Era of the 19th century as a dismal failure that predates what we're going through now, because of not having pursued Justice then.
Well, everyone was stunned by Lincoln's death, and vice president Andrew Johnson was a Southerner at heart: Lincoln had chosen AJ as a compromise for settling us back down after the Civil War. Johnson, owned between 8 - 10 enslaved people: a house staff. He once said:
"Damn the negroes; I am fighting these traitorous aristocrats, their masters!" After the masters' mansions were burned down, AJ threw the Confederate states a very juicy bone: the Black Codes, which reduced Blacks to semi-slavery. Black scholar W.E.B. Dubois DuBois summed up AJ: "Andrew Johnson could not include Negroes in any conceivable democracy. He tried to, but as a poor white, steeped in the limitations, prejudices, and ambitions of his social class, he could not; and this is the key to his career...For [the future of the] Negroes...he had nothing...except the bare possibility that, if given freedom, they might continue to exist and not die out."
I’ve spent a lot my life angry and frustrated over the unfairness and the many injustices I’ve witnessed over time. But I’ve come to understand that fairness and justice are simply noble concepts that originate in human thought and sometimes, here and there, manifest in the real world. Once I really understood that, things like Lindsay Graham escaping justice and Trump, who will also never face any real justice, don’t upset me anymore.
Search YouTube for a video of Franz de Waal researching fairness in monkeys. The monkey throwing back the lesser treat for the same action never gets old. Even monkeys understand fairness.
Fairness and equality are the basis of morality. Reconsider what you are giving up for equanimity.
MLK jr. said, “We are tied together in a single garment of destiny, caught in an inescapable network of mutuality. And whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly. For some strange reason I can never be what I ought to be until you are what you ought to be. And you can never be what you ought to be until I am what I ought to be.”
For many fairness and justice provide physical safety.
If it were up to me, fairness and justice would be built into the foundation of the universe. But it is not. I believe that we should all strive for fairness and justice with all our hearts and souls. But, if you look around and if you study history, you will discover that justice and fairness have been in painfully short supply.
Actually, the science shows very well that mammals do think about justice and really dislike and object to unfairness. They resent unfairness greatly! Franz De Waal's research and the findings of many others shows that clearly.
The ONLY inevitable deaths I will EVER celebrate are the evil demons moscowmitch and bunkerboy. NO human deserves to pass so young, even bunkerboy's stooges!!!
Remembering what's best about the deceased- generous but fair. Such a contrast to Trump whose disgusting comments about Rob Reiner and his wife after their horrible demise should remind us how his indecency exceeds that of almost all Americans.
“I remember being impressed with the position he took in 2106…” (anti Trump) For a moment I thought “he can’t still be deal maker-in-chief in 2106!” Mr. Reich your commentary is always enlightening and brilliant. Thank you.
Lindsey Graham was a spineless weasel! Just like all Republicans who cower to Trump’s lawless ideas. He was another of the cogs in the machine that has destroyed American democracy, respect, and global position!!
A lesson in how drumpf stains and brings people down through their allegiance to him. As Robert Reich has noted in this piece, Graham had been what was more common before the MAGA cult took over -- a person who previously didnt let the aisle barricade what was good and the ability to compromise and move forward legislation. That made it all the more shocking to have him shift his friendship from a good person like John McCain to the democracy death star Donald Trump.
You're right. I probably will be long gone when Marco passes, but he's another who chose power over ethics. I often wonder how he can sit in the Oval Office and listen to . . . .
I remember when Marco was a young man trying to run for president and getting humiliated by others by name calling and them scrutinizing his bank accounts saying he didn't have financial backing or enough money. It was terrible.
Tgank you Cynthia!! I was thinking the exact same thing. Marco came out (in my estimation) as a moral and ethical person. He called trump.out . . . And then jumped at working for trump - and does whatever trump says --.including wearing shoes 2 sizes too large. I really wonder if he doesnt regret joining trump administration? Maybe/maybe not. But I doubt that history will n write about him favorably.
My friends and I ran out of fingers and toes, to count how many times we tried to contact Marco Rubio in his office and never received an acknowledgment or a reply. He was never there. The facts don't lie, someone actually tabulated the low percentage of time he spent doing the countries business. And now look where he is and what responsibilities his physician demands. I am glad other people noticed.
When I'm being charitable, I remember he's doing the job of 2 or 3 people. Then I remember him (Sec of State) sitting in on the Oval Office meeting when trump and vance attacked Zelensky . . . and he didn't say a word. Just watched "w/pained expression on his face' (I think that someone wrote that). When GOPs talk about 2028 his name and vance's appear top of the list. He's bottom (well, next to bottom w/vance being bottom)
We all scratch our heads; how could Graham (once believed rational) flip the script so radically, embracing a fascist regime and a criminal madman POTUS - as well as his "rabid" dedication to genocidal war criminal, Netanyahu? A quest for power or perhaps 'stockholm syndrome'? But, what about blackmail? Nobody is talking about that vulnerablility.
There is/was so much potential dirt on Graham as a result of his closeted lifestyle. It's nearly certain that he was compromised, an easy target for blackmail. He should have just quit. I think it drove him mad to the point he lost touch with his soul, humanity and reality.
Republicans and the trump regime have a big, fat bag of dirty tricks geared to stealing and cheating their way into power. Blackmail and defamation - their go-to established methodology to crush dissent, to bring down opponents, and to keep people in line. Evil. Like ferrets, they dig, dig, dig, until they find a thread they can pull (often incentivized with some envelope payola). Using their coterie of paid social media monkeys and propaganda outlets to finish the job: defame, name-call, and push their narrative to the point it poisons the public mind. It doesn't have to be true. They can ruin reputations with innuendo despite little to no evidence. If that doesn't work, they (the trump regime) move on to death threats and physical (stochastic) harm.
I think with these shitheads it's like getting your hair caught in a fan. You can't turn the fan off so there you are. A Trumper for the rest of your miserable life.
MAGAS 'can' turn the fan off. They don't because they refuse to admit that he's hurting them. They'd rather suffer the pain than concede they were wrong about him. They will lose all of their hair (and their dignity) and still refuse to give up on this evil, racist, corrupt leader who, sadly, thinks they're nothing more than disposable white trash suckers who he got to vote for him by lying.
Trump definitely brings out the worst in people. That's why it's important to connect with one's "inner Trump," so as to not be shocked when it crops up in our own thoughts. I posted here a while back that, shortly after Trump's second inauguration, I dreamed Trump and his security crew came into the place where I work and told us that our (main business rival) had been "VERY UNFAIR" to us and that he, Trump, would fix the problem. I woke up feeling -- for a moment -- blissfully happy and relieved that Trump was going to rescue us. A very sobering experience.
I agree and he was a spineless weasel prior to Donald Trump. His hero John McCain was part of the Keating 5 and publicly called his wife the C word, which sadly erased his exemplary conduct as a prisoner of war in Vietnam for me. Best not to look to most politicians as role models.
Yeah, I have nothing nice to say about this vile creature. He was a piece of shit and I celebrate him burning in hell now. Ding dong the witch is dead! Hoping this is the first of 3. tRUMP and Bibi should be 2 & 3. I’m okay with Glitch being only “disappeared” for now! No, I’m not proud of this, but here the fuck we are!
Where is your respect for a long serving member of the military and staunch supporter of Ukraine and of America? We must learn to respect one another as humans
Respect? You have to be fucking kidding me?! He was a piece of shit, evil creature. The world is already a better place now that he is burning. Respect needs to be earned and kept. Hard to earn and keep respect when your nose is so far up Preznit Fuckwit’s ass. Respect for him? Fuck all the way off with that shit! Ding Dong the witch is dead! 🔔🥂🍾 🎉
Ron--Ashes to ashes, dust to dust. Senator Graham served his countrey for over 33 years. Although I didn't agree with his thinking, Lindsey Graham was a good Aerican.
I firmly disagree! He was not a good American! A good American would not knowingly engage in or support activities that weaken or contribute to the demise of our democratic process. A good American would not engage in or support conduct that is counter to the Constitution. The Constitution is the foundation of the U.S. Without that, there is no America! How can one be a “good American” while chopping away at its foundation?!
Ron--Lindsey Graham was a prominent conservative U.S. Senator from South Carolina, serving from 2003 until his death on July 11, 2026. A former military lawyer, he was known for his staunchly hawkish foreign policy, his close alliance with John McCain, and his shifting relationship with Donald Trump, evolving from a fierce critic to one of his staunchest allies. No account for taste.
Joice--I saw no kin-ship in Senator Graham's thinking or in his positions--Just because he didn't see things as we do doesn't mean his life held no value.
With all due respects to the deceased, Lindsey did a tremendous amount of damage to this country and history will not be kind to him. People are trying to be evenhanded and in this world, certainly that is needed. The way I see it. His legacy includes war mongering and cheerleading for Trump. Let’s hope his demise and McConnell’s lead to the restructuring of this country.
No smidgeon of good is ever erased. That he made bad choices and defended a man who made far worse choices is undeniable. But what Prof. Reich says is also true. Goodness deserves to be remembered for itself, not as a get-out-of-hell free card.
The response of a wise elder to the death of a person who was both deeply flawed and a frequent source of anger and frustration. Well said, Professor Reich.
Robert, thanks for taking the high road here. Graham did have some positive features. McCain, Ukraine.
But just like Rubio, he was a shape shifting opportunistic lizard whose ambition for the big job caused him to sign a pact with devil. He will not be missed by decent Americans.
My only regret is that he will be replaced by something worse.
On the flip side, the election in November is now a new subject.
Certainly a mixed legacy to say the least. However these last years of his "leadership" harmed his constituents as well as the United States. He always had his finger in the air testing the direction of the wind. True to his southern culture he could say really nice things to your face while simultaneously twisting the knife in your back. We who remain and those who follow after us will be working to undo and build anew our nation following the predations of Graham and so many others who have chosen "the dark side".
I was born and raised in Charleston, SC and I've lost count of how many times I contacted LG in the past. At first pleading for decency and democracy, and in the end chastising him brazenly for his choices. Almost made me embarrassed I was a South Carolinian. But then I remember all of the family and friends I have here in SC who love, and fight, for our democracy. Thanks Professor Reich for your wisdom.
You say RIP. I say I hope that man finds no peace. I will not respect a person in death who didn't deserve my respect in life. Good riddance to bad rubbish.
That's how you do it. Thank you, RR.
Yes, agreed.
No hate, no celebration. Just the record: he knew, he said so, timestamped, and then he chose power over everything he named. Most people don’t cause that much suffering in ten lifetimes.
Mourn the man if you knew him. The record mourns nothing.
🐌
This point: " Most people don't cause that much suffering in ten lifetimes." So true. And, frankly, I'd much rather have put him on trial for his crimes. This is a kind of escape from accountability---and I hate it.
I hate it too. I hate it that anyone supports any kind of harm to other beings. He didn't get accountability in a court, but facts are facts, and they are on display for all to see, forever.
There will be accountability in a higher court.
That’s delusional. What higher court? He’s dead, there is nothing more happening to him.
It is a matter of belief and faith. I happen to have both. Yeah, not rational but ….
I suspect the higher court Kim refers to is the arc of history.
Concerning a higher court: When MAGA is defeated, and it eventually will be, I want to see established a special court on the model of the Nuremberg court/trials after WWII. This is the only way we'll get real accountability and be able to move forward as we clean up the MAGA destruction; restoreing our country's institutions and its standing in the world. I want the entire administration put on trial, including the Senate Majority Leader and the Speaker of the House. No "reconciliation"; no mercy. Let's simply get it done. I don't want to go through another trump impeachment. It won't be as effective as what I'm proposing. I do want us to impeach both Thomas and Alito for corruption though. We have plenty of evidence and that will be the only way to gain a modicum of respect for SCOTUS quickly. They both must go. I'd like to see them in prison, but that would be an additional type of trial and verdict. Being booted off the court will not be enough. Another step in being able to move forward as a country. I'm deadly serious that we'll need a process that is much more effective and meaningful for all of them than what exists today. We're living in extraordinary times where extraordinary criminal behavior has occured.
HCR is all over that, looking at the Reconstruction Era of the 19th century as a dismal failure that predates what we're going through now, because of not having pursued Justice then.
Well, everyone was stunned by Lincoln's death, and vice president Andrew Johnson was a Southerner at heart: Lincoln had chosen AJ as a compromise for settling us back down after the Civil War. Johnson, owned between 8 - 10 enslaved people: a house staff. He once said:
"Damn the negroes; I am fighting these traitorous aristocrats, their masters!" After the masters' mansions were burned down, AJ threw the Confederate states a very juicy bone: the Black Codes, which reduced Blacks to semi-slavery. Black scholar W.E.B. Dubois DuBois summed up AJ: "Andrew Johnson could not include Negroes in any conceivable democracy. He tried to, but as a poor white, steeped in the limitations, prejudices, and ambitions of his social class, he could not; and this is the key to his career...For [the future of the] Negroes...he had nothing...except the bare possibility that, if given freedom, they might continue to exist and not die out."
Agreed.
I’ve spent a lot my life angry and frustrated over the unfairness and the many injustices I’ve witnessed over time. But I’ve come to understand that fairness and justice are simply noble concepts that originate in human thought and sometimes, here and there, manifest in the real world. Once I really understood that, things like Lindsay Graham escaping justice and Trump, who will also never face any real justice, don’t upset me anymore.
Search YouTube for a video of Franz de Waal researching fairness in monkeys. The monkey throwing back the lesser treat for the same action never gets old. Even monkeys understand fairness.
Fairness and equality are the basis of morality. Reconsider what you are giving up for equanimity.
MLK jr. said, “We are tied together in a single garment of destiny, caught in an inescapable network of mutuality. And whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly. For some strange reason I can never be what I ought to be until you are what you ought to be. And you can never be what you ought to be until I am what I ought to be.”
For many fairness and justice provide physical safety.
If it were up to me, fairness and justice would be built into the foundation of the universe. But it is not. I believe that we should all strive for fairness and justice with all our hearts and souls. But, if you look around and if you study history, you will discover that justice and fairness have been in painfully short supply.
Civilization cannot long survive without a quest for fairness and justice. It is a never ending struggle.
Franz De Waal. Not 'Hans'.
Thanks for the correction. I should have taken the time to check.
Perfectly said
I wish I could say the same [not get upset anymore
Yes, animals don’t think about fairness and justice. Just us humans. At least not that I know about.
Actually, the science shows very well that mammals do think about justice and really dislike and object to unfairness. They resent unfairness greatly! Franz De Waal's research and the findings of many others shows that clearly.
But monkeys recognize unfairness and demonstrate their displeasure. Watch the video.
Not just primates! Dogs, cats, horses, donkeys...many mammals.
🤔😐😧
Agreed.
a man with no principles other self preservation
You can look for the good in some people, but when you have to look that hard, it tells you that the effort was wasted
- Karen Cooper
A terribly broken man.
Exactly. In the end, he sold his soul and it killed him.
The ONLY inevitable deaths I will EVER celebrate are the evil demons moscowmitch and bunkerboy. NO human deserves to pass so young, even bunkerboy's stooges!!!
When moscowmitch or bunkerboy passes, please save me some champagne. Normally, I’m a teetotaler, but I do make exceptions.
Daniel, you are too kind.
Yes. Way too kind.
71 isn't really young.
Well said!
Remembering what's best about the deceased- generous but fair. Such a contrast to Trump whose disgusting comments about Rob Reiner and his wife after their horrible demise should remind us how his indecency exceeds that of almost all Americans.
We can ask what his thoughts were about “child molesters” after his funeral……..
Still, the bad sometimes outweighs the good ...
- Karen Cooper
That is because Robert is a class act.
Hear, hear. Or is it “Here, here?”
Doesn’t matter.
Well and fairly done, Professor Reich!
Yes, a class act for sure.
“I remember being impressed with the position he took in 2106…” (anti Trump) For a moment I thought “he can’t still be deal maker-in-chief in 2106!” Mr. Reich your commentary is always enlightening and brilliant. Thank you.
Lindsey Graham was a spineless weasel! Just like all Republicans who cower to Trump’s lawless ideas. He was another of the cogs in the machine that has destroyed American democracy, respect, and global position!!
A lesson in how drumpf stains and brings people down through their allegiance to him. As Robert Reich has noted in this piece, Graham had been what was more common before the MAGA cult took over -- a person who previously didnt let the aisle barricade what was good and the ability to compromise and move forward legislation. That made it all the more shocking to have him shift his friendship from a good person like John McCain to the democracy death star Donald Trump.
You're right. I probably will be long gone when Marco passes, but he's another who chose power over ethics. I often wonder how he can sit in the Oval Office and listen to . . . .
I remember when Marco was a young man trying to run for president and getting humiliated by others by name calling and them scrutinizing his bank accounts saying he didn't have financial backing or enough money. It was terrible.
Tgank you Cynthia!! I was thinking the exact same thing. Marco came out (in my estimation) as a moral and ethical person. He called trump.out . . . And then jumped at working for trump - and does whatever trump says --.including wearing shoes 2 sizes too large. I really wonder if he doesnt regret joining trump administration? Maybe/maybe not. But I doubt that history will n write about him favorably.
My friends and I ran out of fingers and toes, to count how many times we tried to contact Marco Rubio in his office and never received an acknowledgment or a reply. He was never there. The facts don't lie, someone actually tabulated the low percentage of time he spent doing the countries business. And now look where he is and what responsibilities his physician demands. I am glad other people noticed.
When I'm being charitable, I remember he's doing the job of 2 or 3 people. Then I remember him (Sec of State) sitting in on the Oval Office meeting when trump and vance attacked Zelensky . . . and he didn't say a word. Just watched "w/pained expression on his face' (I think that someone wrote that). When GOPs talk about 2028 his name and vance's appear top of the list. He's bottom (well, next to bottom w/vance being bottom)
It was terrible, you say, are you implying that he suffered some kind of nervous breakdown that would explain his loss of integrity?
We all scratch our heads; how could Graham (once believed rational) flip the script so radically, embracing a fascist regime and a criminal madman POTUS - as well as his "rabid" dedication to genocidal war criminal, Netanyahu? A quest for power or perhaps 'stockholm syndrome'? But, what about blackmail? Nobody is talking about that vulnerablility.
There is/was so much potential dirt on Graham as a result of his closeted lifestyle. It's nearly certain that he was compromised, an easy target for blackmail. He should have just quit. I think it drove him mad to the point he lost touch with his soul, humanity and reality.
Republicans and the trump regime have a big, fat bag of dirty tricks geared to stealing and cheating their way into power. Blackmail and defamation - their go-to established methodology to crush dissent, to bring down opponents, and to keep people in line. Evil. Like ferrets, they dig, dig, dig, until they find a thread they can pull (often incentivized with some envelope payola). Using their coterie of paid social media monkeys and propaganda outlets to finish the job: defame, name-call, and push their narrative to the point it poisons the public mind. It doesn't have to be true. They can ruin reputations with innuendo despite little to no evidence. If that doesn't work, they (the trump regime) move on to death threats and physical (stochastic) harm.
The right wingers can't fight fair, so they fight foul. That has been their Method of Operation since the beginning of time.
Awful, awful people.
I think with these shitheads it's like getting your hair caught in a fan. You can't turn the fan off so there you are. A Trumper for the rest of your miserable life.
MAGAS 'can' turn the fan off. They don't because they refuse to admit that he's hurting them. They'd rather suffer the pain than concede they were wrong about him. They will lose all of their hair (and their dignity) and still refuse to give up on this evil, racist, corrupt leader who, sadly, thinks they're nothing more than disposable white trash suckers who he got to vote for him by lying.
Which perhaps manifested in an earlyish demise.
Trump definitely brings out the worst in people. That's why it's important to connect with one's "inner Trump," so as to not be shocked when it crops up in our own thoughts. I posted here a while back that, shortly after Trump's second inauguration, I dreamed Trump and his security crew came into the place where I work and told us that our (main business rival) had been "VERY UNFAIR" to us and that he, Trump, would fix the problem. I woke up feeling -- for a moment -- blissfully happy and relieved that Trump was going to rescue us. A very sobering experience.
I agree and he was a spineless weasel prior to Donald Trump. His hero John McCain was part of the Keating 5 and publicly called his wife the C word, which sadly erased his exemplary conduct as a prisoner of war in Vietnam for me. Best not to look to most politicians as role models.
Yeah, I have nothing nice to say about this vile creature. He was a piece of shit and I celebrate him burning in hell now. Ding dong the witch is dead! Hoping this is the first of 3. tRUMP and Bibi should be 2 & 3. I’m okay with Glitch being only “disappeared” for now! No, I’m not proud of this, but here the fuck we are!
Sadly, I agree.
Where is your respect for a long serving member of the military and staunch supporter of Ukraine and of America? We must learn to respect one another as humans
Respect? You have to be fucking kidding me?! He was a piece of shit, evil creature. The world is already a better place now that he is burning. Respect needs to be earned and kept. Hard to earn and keep respect when your nose is so far up Preznit Fuckwit’s ass. Respect for him? Fuck all the way off with that shit! Ding Dong the witch is dead! 🔔🥂🍾 🎉
Ron--Ashes to ashes, dust to dust. Senator Graham served his countrey for over 33 years. Although I didn't agree with his thinking, Lindsey Graham was a good Aerican.
I firmly disagree! He was not a good American! A good American would not knowingly engage in or support activities that weaken or contribute to the demise of our democratic process. A good American would not engage in or support conduct that is counter to the Constitution. The Constitution is the foundation of the U.S. Without that, there is no America! How can one be a “good American” while chopping away at its foundation?!
Ron--Lindsey Graham was a prominent conservative U.S. Senator from South Carolina, serving from 2003 until his death on July 11, 2026. A former military lawyer, he was known for his staunchly hawkish foreign policy, his close alliance with John McCain, and his shifting relationship with Donald Trump, evolving from a fierce critic to one of his staunchest allies. No account for taste.
He was most decidedly NOT a good American!
Kate--He served in a capacity he felt best enriched this country--Right or wrong his heart was in the right place--
👎👎🏿👎🏽
Joice--I saw no kin-ship in Senator Graham's thinking or in his positions--Just because he didn't see things as we do doesn't mean his life held no value.
You are a very gracious person, Secretary Reich. I wish I could say Mr. Graham deserved your graciousness.
I came here to say that - you've expressed it perfectly 👏🏼🎯
With all due respects to the deceased, Lindsey did a tremendous amount of damage to this country and history will not be kind to him. People are trying to be evenhanded and in this world, certainly that is needed. The way I see it. His legacy includes war mongering and cheerleading for Trump. Let’s hope his demise and McConnell’s lead to the restructuring of this country.
Good Riddance to a bad Senator!
Maybe his death will mean a Democrat will win his seat!
Sounds like something Trump would say.
Lindsey will always be known as a flip flop Senator who could never be trusted.
Classic weathervane.
Political weather vane. "You don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows" Bob Dylan
Any smidgeon of good he did has been erased by his blind support of Trump and his regime - he will not be remembered as a good human.
Just because he is dead does not erase his atrocities- he is simply a dead horrible human.
No smidgeon of good is ever erased. That he made bad choices and defended a man who made far worse choices is undeniable. But what Prof. Reich says is also true. Goodness deserves to be remembered for itself, not as a get-out-of-hell free card.
He has destroyed the opportunity to be remembered as someone who did something (anything) good. His legacy will be supporting Trump
It’s on him
Thank you for your balanced and compassionate response to Graham’s death.
The response of a wise elder to the death of a person who was both deeply flawed and a frequent source of anger and frustration. Well said, Professor Reich.
Robert, thanks for taking the high road here. Graham did have some positive features. McCain, Ukraine.
But just like Rubio, he was a shape shifting opportunistic lizard whose ambition for the big job caused him to sign a pact with devil. He will not be missed by decent Americans.
My only regret is that he will be replaced by something worse.
On the flip side, the election in November is now a new subject.
We don’t know that Graham “will be replaced by something worse.” There are some good Dems running for his seat in the primaries.
“The evil that men do lives after them; The good is oft interred with their bones” ("Julius Caesar," Shakespeare)
Certainly a mixed legacy to say the least. However these last years of his "leadership" harmed his constituents as well as the United States. He always had his finger in the air testing the direction of the wind. True to his southern culture he could say really nice things to your face while simultaneously twisting the knife in your back. We who remain and those who follow after us will be working to undo and build anew our nation following the predations of Graham and so many others who have chosen "the dark side".
His version of the South sure filled the bill we had in our heads of “Southern Attitudes” though, all of these years!
I was born and raised in Charleston, SC and I've lost count of how many times I contacted LG in the past. At first pleading for decency and democracy, and in the end chastising him brazenly for his choices. Almost made me embarrassed I was a South Carolinian. But then I remember all of the family and friends I have here in SC who love, and fight, for our democracy. Thanks Professor Reich for your wisdom.
You say RIP. I say I hope that man finds no peace. I will not respect a person in death who didn't deserve my respect in life. Good riddance to bad rubbish.
What you say is true. However, it is still imperative to be clear how much damage he did to the country and, by extension, the world.
Facts matter.
Lindsey Graham was the embodiment, the personification, of the Repugnican Party.